Presently, there are a number of carton forming devices or boxers used throughout the industry. One of the most widely used in the tobacco industry is a boxer manufactured by Molins Limited of London, England which is commonly referred to within the tobacco industry as the "Molins Boxer". Boxer or cartoning machine and like terms are used interchangeably herein and are common terms used for machines which fold blanks around articles to form boxes or cartons. Although the Molins Boxer has worked satisfactorily as long as there are no stoppages during the machine cycle, a number of problems are encountered if there is a stoppage. The major problem encountered when a stoppage occurs is that the glue dries and the flaps of the carton are not always sealed against the side of the carton before the carton passes from the folding section into the heater section for final sealing. If an incomplete seal exists, as the cartons are passed from the folding section to the heater section, the flaps will pop up and often become damaged.
Even when the glue only partially dries, the folding mechanism of the Molins Boxer may not apply sufficient pressure to insure that the carton will seal.
These stoppages or idling time produce numerous damaged or unsealed cartons. Of course, when a carton is damaged, it must be removed from the production line. Even if the unsealed carton makes it through the carton machine without being damaged, it is undesirable from a marketing standpoint to have unsealed cartons shipped for purchase by consumers. Thus, it is not only essential to remove the damaged cartons from the production line, but the unsealed cartons must be removed as well. The cigarette packages in these damaged or unsealed cartons must be removed and recycled into other cartons, thereby increasing the cost of production. Because of these difficulties, there exists a need for a folding mechanism which will fold the carton flap down as early in the cycle as possible and maintain contact with the flap until a last possible moment before the carton is removed from the folding section to the heater section.